Rogue Builder's Illegal Profits 'Washed' By Pal

A money launderer, who washed £31,000 through his bank account, which had been scammed from a pensioner by cowboy builders working on his suburban driveway, dodged prison with a suspended sentence yesterday.

Alan Hayton, 63, (pictured) of Portland Avenue, Sittingbourne paid a £17,000 cheque made out 'to cash' into his account and a second £14,000 cheque was blocked by suspicious bank staff.

The victim, John Devereux, of Belmont Road, Chislehurst, also paid another £8,000 cash to the builders, who have never been caught after his partner, who is recovering from a brain tumour, was preyed upon.

"You must have been aware there were vulnerable victims having money extracted from them by your friend," Croydon Crown Court Recorder Niall Quinn QC told Hayton. 

"They have been deprived of their entire life savings and the work was done in a contemptuous manner." 

Hayton was sentenced to eleven months imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to pay £500 compensation to Mr. Devereux and obey a night time curfew for three months.

The grandfather, who claims disability living allowance, will not have to contribute to the £7,750 costs requested by the opposition.

Hayton was convicted of acquiring criminal property, namely the two cheques between June 28 and July 14, last year, converting criminal property, namely the £17,000 cheque and attempting to convert criminal property, namely the £14,000 cheque.

Prosecutor Miss Rebecca Foulkes told the jury Mr. Devereux returned home to find his driveway being dug up after the builders had a conversation with his partner.

"She told him they had come around and knocked on the door and she had given permission to work on the drive and an Irishman, known as 'John' arrived later.

"The work continued and Mr. Devereux was asked for a cheque for seventeen thousand pounds and even though he was shocked by the amount, after a conversation he wrote a cheque, leaving the payee blank.

"That cheque went into the bank account of Mr. Hayton and Mr. Devereux then paid eight thousand pounds cash for a pipe to be laid under the driveway.

"A few days later Mr. Devereux was asked for more money for a trench and wrote out a cheque for fourteen thousand after first being asked for twenty thousand."

Again the cheque was paid into Hayton's account, but was blocked by the bank and trading standards alerted.

The determined cowboy builders even tried to persuade Mr. Devereux to make an electronic transfer payment, but fortunately this was unsuccessful.

"These sums were criminal property because they were obtained by fraud perpetuated on Mr. Devereux and his partner," added Miss Foulkes.

"They could see she was a vulnerable person and they took advantage and lied to Mr. Devereux about he cost of work to the driveway and the house.

"The work on the driveway was worth a small fraction of what was paid out and Mr. Hayton must have known or suspected these cheques were the proceeds of criminal property and allowed his account to be used."

Hayton claims he cashed the cheques for a man called Joe Joyce in return for a £24 crate of beer.

His lawyer Miss Francesca Levett told the court: "It is not a sophisticated attempt to defraud someone. It was very easily traced back to him.

"He was expecting a good drink in it for him, which he expected to be a few hundred pounds, but all he did get was a drink, that crate of beer.

"He is not a well man and Mr. Joyce preyed on the naivety of Mr. Hayton, who after the trial was admitted to Mayday Hospital after collapsing, which was brought about by stress."